Ludlow signs agreement for $429K in state funding for Riverwalk project at Ludlow Mills

LUDLOW -- It's official: The Town of Ludlow has signed a grant agreement with the state for $429,500 in MassWorks funding for pedestrian and safety improvements for the Ludlow Mills Riverwalk project.

"This funding continues to enhance the natural resources of the Chicopee River that would have otherwise remained dormant and unappreciated," said State Rep.

Thomas M. Petrolati, D-Ludlow, who pushed for the grant and has supported the Ludlow Mills Preservation and Redevelopment project since its inception.

The MassWorks grant, announced by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito in May, will be used for installation of historical interpretive signs, lighting, benches and other amenities along the Riverwalk.

"The new Riverwalk lighting will allow for more comfortable accessibility, and the historical signage will now provide a better understanding and explanation of the history surrounding the Ludlow Mills," Petrolati said.

"Westmass is grateful to Rep. Petrolati for his support of this critical state grant funding, as well as the initial Riverwalk private funding provided by HealthSouth Rehabitation Hospital," said Eric Nelson, president and CEO of the development organization, which has been creating large-scale projects in Western Massachusetts for over 50 years..

Ludlow Mills, a massive complex of buildings bounded by State Street and the Chicopee River, is a hive of activity these days.

Work on the Clock Tower Mill residential project by Boston's WinnDevelopment is set to begin in 2018. The mixed-use project will create over 100 market-rate apartments and commercial, retail and office space in the iconic clock tower building, which is just over the bridge from Indian Orchard and Wilbraham.

In 2014, Iron Duke Brewing, a popular microbrewery, opened for business in a 3,000-square-foot space at the mill complex. Other recent developments include the $26 million HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital and a $24.5 million senior housing project by WinnDevelopment.

Over the next 15-20 years, redevelopment efforts at Ludlow Mills are expected to create and retain over 2,000 jobs, stimulate around $300 million in private investment, and increase municipal property tax revenues by $2 million, according to Westmass, which purchased the 170-acre mill complex in 2011.

Since then, Westmass has been able to attract around $75 million in public and private investment, according to officials of the private, nonprofit industrial and business development corporation.

The original mill was owned and operated by the Ludlow Manufacturing and Sales Co., which was established in 1868. The company used jute, flax and hemp to make cloth, rope and twine and had around 4,000 employees during its heyday in the early 20th century. But World War I disrupted the supply of jute fiber from India, prompting the company to shift production overseas.